


home

by xuxicentric



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 15:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19428775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxicentric/pseuds/xuxicentric
Summary: jaehyun comes home everyday for the past six months, but doesn't feel like he is





	home

**Author's Note:**

> here's a short something for taeyong's birthday! <3
> 
> talk to me on [twt](https://twitter.com/eternityunos)

_Home_.

For six months, Jaehyun has worked his ass off in his office seven times a week, almost eighteen hours a day. He couldn’t help it, though. Not when his dad’s been training him to take over , not when he’s closed eight deals worth more than what Jaehyun ever imagined he could, not when this is the only way Jaehyun could temporarily forget the emptiness inside him.

_Home_.

Every eleven o’twelve in the evening, the security who has the overnight shift would tip his cap slightly in acknowledgement to Jaehyun’s arrival. Jaehyun would nod in response as he drives slowly past the entrance and parks his car near the elevator where his space is. He gets out and sees the space beside his empty—as how it’s been for the last six months. Jaehyun tries to ignore the hollow feeling that’s been there even since the space emptied out and runs to the elevator, up to his pad on the eighteenth floor.

_Home._

Jaehyun’s place is a spacious, four-bedroom condominium. He bought it as a gift to himself over two years ago when he finally started working as a full-time employee in the company his dad built from scratch. Jaehyun refused to go and claim the offered position to him as Chief Operations Officer, saying he wanted work as hard as everyone else and get to know the ins-and-outs of the whole place before he rises to the top. (That’s his reason; if you ask his dad, he thinks Jaehyun just doesn’t want to be busy yet and lose his weekends off. It’s when he takes his boyfriend out for dates.) 

The place is too big for one person, one might say. But the thing is, Jaehyun didn’t used to be alone. When Jaehyun moved here, he had a charming roommate who stayed in the same room Jaehyun was in. His roommate gave the best cuddles and kisses, cooked the most amazing dishes, and would _occasionally_ give Jaehyun the best sex he’s ever had. (Every time they’s do it, Jaehyun says it’s the best ever before kissing the top of his boyfriend’s forehead.)

The whole pad is decorated with remnants of his roommate. Jaehyun’s doesn’t really bother with the interior design of the place, but his boyfriend worked really hard to turn this place into a _home_ , not just a place to live in.

Jaehyun stands at the center of the place and looks around; sees the dusty, elegant gray paint decorating the walls, the fully-equipped kitchen that’s been barely touched for six months, the living room that used to cater to bodies wrapped around each other, making out instead of watching the movie they played on Netflix, the balcony where they both moaned and whispered each other’s names that night they had too much wine to drink—everything was the way it was six months ago.

_Home._

But Jaehyun wasn’t home.

———————————————————————

Jaehyun finally turns his _Mac_ on after a quick shower and hurriedly clicks on _Facetime_. He hears the familiar beeps, knowing fully well that in a few seconds, he’s about to see the man his heart’s been yearning for ever since he left.

But much to Jaehyun’s chagrin, the call is dropped with no one on the other side of the line answering. _It’s 4:00pm in London,_ Jaehyun calculates. He takes a moment to think about why the call is unattended to, before deciding to just try again—thinking maybe he just went to the bathroom or grabbed something to snack on.

It takes four tries before Jaehyun finally realizes something was up. Usually, his boyfriend would send him a message hours before their scheduled video chat is he wasn’t going to be available or if something came up and he was going to be late for a few minutes. And it’s not just that—it’s July 1st in Seoul.

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_Hey babe!_

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_Happy birthday!_

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_You busy?_

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_You got the flowers I sent you? They’re pretty right?_

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_Call me anytime ok? I miss you._

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_Happy birthday, baby._

Jaehyun clicks his phone off and rubs his face in frustration. No, not at Taeyong, of course. But by the circumstance they’re in. He misses Taeyong’s warmth, his honey-laced voice, his slender fingers that would run along Jaehyun’s skin. _Four more months_ , Jaehyun reminds himself. _Four more months._

Taeyong’s been offered a chance to work with a huge designer brand as it prepares for the winter collection. Taeyong has been dreaming of this opportunity ever since he started designing his own clothes back in junior year, but he was reluctant to leave Jaehyun for ten months. Seeing as it’s something Taeyong has dreamt of, Jaehyun, who also didn’t have the heart and courage to convince his boyfriend to go and chase his dreams, wore his big boy pants and told Taeyong to take it, because the world is meant to see Lee Taeyong’s talent.

Jaehyun waits around for twenty more minutes, hoping Taeyong would log back in but doesn’t see the green light beside his name. Someone is online, though. Someone close to Taeyong, both literally and figuratively. 

He clicks _Call_ and the screen connects immediately.

“Jaehyunnie hyung?”

“Hey, Hyuck.”

Lee Donghyuck is an intern at the company Taeyong’s currently working at. And also Taeyong’s self-proclaimed son he’s adopted in his stay there.

“Have you seen your Taeyong hyung?”

Donghyuck’s face is painted with confusion. “Isn’t he…ah!”

Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows at the younger’s sudden shift in emotion. “He’s on that work excursion, right? Did he not tell you, hyung? He told me he did tell you a few weeks ago.”

_Ah! Right!_

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s signal there? But I’m sure you’ll be able to talk to him before the day ends in Korea.”

“Right. Do you know what time they’ll be back though?”

“Not sure, but I’ll tell him to call you as soon as they arrive.”

Jaehyun smiles fondly at Donghyuck. “Thank you, Hyuck.”

“By the way, hyung. The flowers are really pretty. Shame he’s not here.” Donghyuck smiles mischievously.

“He’ll see them in a few hours anyway. Put them in a vase for me, yeah?”

“Can I keep them?”

Jaehyun blinks, a little weirded out. “Uh, sure? Until your Taeyong hyung comes back.”

“Okay!” Donghyuck grins and waves Jaehyun goodbye. “Bye, hyung! Enjoy Taeyong hyung’s birthday!”

“Bye, kid.” He smiles at the younger lovingly before ending the call. Jaehyun pushes himself up from his seat and plops down on the bed, drifting to sleep quickly before his disappointment urges him to stay up all night.

_To: Tyongie_ ♥︎

_Call me as soon as you arrive, yeah? Love you, birthday boy!_

————————————-

Jaehyun wakes up to the smell of bacon and waffles and to the constant ringing of his phone. He thinks it’s his dad cooking a hearty breakfast for him, knowing how special this day is for Jaehyun as much as it’s special for Taeyong. (Mr. Jung loves Taeyong very much, sometimes Jaehyun doesn’t think he’s the biological son anymore.) He picks the phone up and accepts the call, not bothering to look at the caller.

“Hey, son.”

_What?_

“Take the day off today, alright? Tomorrow too.”

“Dad? Where are you?” Jaehyun stands up and walks towards the door, carefully turning the knob around and slowly opening it to take a peek of who’s outside. “Aren’t you in my kitchen?”

“What? Kitchen? I’m in the office.”

“Then who’s here…?” He mumbles to himself and ends the call, mentally taking note to call his dad back later. He just needs to find out who’s outside cooking him breakfast when he doesn’t remember giving his passcode to anyone but his dad and Taeyong, both of which physically impossible to be there.

Jaehyun treads his way to the kitchen and sees the back of someone he didn’t expect to see for four months more.

He stands there, meters away, frozen in place.

The culprit must have sensed his presence as he turns to face Jaehyun, who’s still visibly shocked at what he’s seeing in front of him. Then, Jaehyun sees the smile he’s missed so much.

“Hey, Jaehyunnie.” 

Taeyong stood perfectly against the kitchen counter, smile playing on his lips as he observes Jaehyun taking in the fact that he’s there, not just on the screen with his voice booming through the speakers, but there. Arms away from Jaehyun. It was like he never left.

“Missed me?” Taeyong says playfully when Jaehyun pulls him in for an embrace that squeezes the lights out of him. He feels lips on his hair, to which Taeyong nuzzles his face closer to Jaehyun. 

“It’s your birthday, why does it feel like I’m the one getting my gift?” Jaehyun says to him, face still buried on Taeyong’s hair, inhaling the scent he’s missed for months.

“You’re my gift, Jaehyunnie.”

They stay there for minutes, basking themselves with each other’s presence, and though Jaehyun wouldn’t like to disturb the momentum, he was itching to ask a dreaded question.

“How long?”

Taeyong only hums questioningly.

“How ’til you have to go back?”

“I’m not. Finished all my designs last week. If I do go back though, it’s only for a few days.”

Jaehyun doesn’t notice it, but he sheds a tear out of happiness. The hollowness he’s felt inside of him is nowhere to be found now.

For six months, Jaehyun was home whenever he faced the screen and talked to Taeyong for hours about anything, everything.

For six months, Jaehyun felt home whenever Taeyong would send him a picture of himself enjoying the view or eating out, smiling genuinely as he explored London.

But now, Jaehyun’s home is right in front him him, arms wrapped around his waist, head resting on his shoulders, face buried on the crook of his neck.

Jaehyun is home.

_Home._

_“Welcome home, my Jaehyun.”_

Taeyong has always been Jaehyun’s home.


End file.
